USA vs. England Women's Soccer: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Friendly

The USA women's national soccer team recorded a 1-0 win over England during Friday's friendly in Milton Keynes, England, bouncing back from the embarrassing defeat against France by putting together a solid, if unspectacular, showing.

Poor finishing stopped the visitors from running up the score and is a cause for concern as preparations for this year's World Cup continue, but the U.S. did dominate England in every other facet, powered by star forward Alex Morgan.

Judging by her excitement before the match, fans should have known she was feeling great and ready to play a big role in the match:

Both teams started the match very cautiously, with the hosts desperate to avoid falling victim to the counter-attacking prowess of the US and the visitors bypassing solid buildup play for a more direct approach.

England easily held their own against the vaunted Yanks side, who came out with an exceptionally high line and couldn't deal with the resulting lack of space. FOX Soccer Trax was not particularly impressed during the early stages:

Karen Bardsley required treatment for an early injury, taking even more of the pace out of the match.

The visitors resorted to using the long ball, with the buildup play clearly not yielding any results. England started to show some cracks along the back four. Stephanie Houghton did well to challenge Morgan on several key headed duels, but the threat of the prolific striker remained.

It didn't come as a big surprise when the 25-year-old opened the score with a powerful header, to the delight of the team's official Twitter feed. They also noted the goal was the 50th of Morgan's international career:

Morgan's header was a fantastic piece of skill, but the ball should never have passed Bardsley, who inexplicably failed to deal with a routine effort. Here's the goal:

The pressure on the English back four intensified as the U.S. pushed for a second goal, continuing to feed the ball to Morgan. The striker was involved but not always effective, something former football star Alexi Lalas also noticed:

Abby Wambach had a good look on goal, heading the ball just wide, and Ali Krieger forced a good save from Bardsley, who redeemed herself in the dying minutes of the first half by stopping every ball in sight.

England couldn't muster a single chance but did well not to concede a second goal, as the USA went into the dressing room up 1-0.

The Daily Express' Bruce Archer conceded England simply couldn't keep up with the strong play of the favoured Americans:

The visitors increased the tempo early in the second half, determined to rely less on the long ball and more on incisive passing, but the final ball wasn't working for the team, who couldn't find any gaps in England's defence.

The hosts' first real chance appeared to immediately yield a goal, as Jodie Taylor put the ball in the net following Fran Kirby's effort, which hit the cross bar. The linesman signaled for offside, but replays suggested the decision was a poor one at best, as Taylor was onside by several feet. ESPN's Taylor Twellman couldn't believe it:

Neither could Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:

Morgan forced another good save from Bardsley, and while England tried to commit numbers to the attack, the best chances were still for the U.S. team. Morgan in particular was lively, but Bardsley was up to the challenge, facing a multitude of shots.

Ashlyn Harris was forced to come well off her line to clear a dangerous ball over the top, signaling one final push from the hosts to try to secure a draw in the dying minutes. 

The pressure didn't result in a goal, however, as the visitors held on for a close, but deserved, 1-0 win.

Grant Wahl liked what he saw from Morgan, who is still looking for her best form after missing time with an injury. He expects her to be back to 100 percent in time for the World Cup:

The U.S. were far and away the better team, but Fox Soccer Trax was not impressed:

For the hosts, back-to-back losses against Germany and the USA are nothing to be ashamed of. Both are considered heavy favourites for this year's World Cup and have dominated the sport for years. The back four looked solid against Morgan, one of the best strikers in the world. While a lack of creativity moving forward is worrying, a good defensive organisation will go a long way toward World Cup success.

The Stars and Stripes can't be happy with their finishing, which was well below par. And an inability to get the short passing game going early against England spells trouble for when the team comes across the likes of Germany and Japan. But the visitors did dominate every other facet of the match, and compared to the debacle against France, Friday's fixture was a huge improvement.

The World Cup doesn't start tomorrow; improving is the order of day, and both teams certainly showed plenty of progress on Friday.

Follow @ReverschPass